Emma Raducanu reaches first Grand Slam 3R since historic US Open 2021 as Brit powers past Elise Mertens at Wimbledon 2024
Emma Raducanu booked her place in the third round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday, getting past Elise Mertens in straight sets. It is the first time the Brit is reaching the third round at a Grand Slam since the 2021 US Open, where she scripted history with her maiden Grand Slam triumph.
At Flushing Meadows, Raducanu became the first qualifier in history to win the title, beating Leylah Fernandez in the final. Over the course of three weeks, she won 10 matches, all in straight sets.
The years since have not been kind to the World No. 135. In six Grand Slam appearances between then and now, she had only managed to reach the second round at best. Raducanu also missed four Grand Slams due to injury, including last year's edition at Wimbledon, and fell out of the top 100 in the WTA rankings.
This year, however, Emma Raducanu has been playing her best tennis, first beating Renata Zarazua in straight sets in her opener. Against Mertens in the second round, the 21-year-old won 6-1, 6-2 with a fantastic display on Center Court. In the lead-up to her run at Wimbledon, Raducanu had a great outing on the grass, reaching the semifinals at Nottingham and the quarterfinals at Eastbourne.
One more win will see the Brit equal her best ever run at SW19, when she reached the fourth round in 2021 as a wildcard. It was months after that performance that she stunned the world with her US Open performance.
Emma Raducanu to take on either Maria Sakkari or Arantxa Rus in the third round at Wimbledon next
Following her win over Elise Mertens, Emma Raducanu will next take on either ninth seed Maria Sakkari or Arantxa Rus in the third round at Wimbledon. The duo are set to face off later today in the night session. Raducanu has faced neither before on the WTA Tour, and has a 0-0 head-to-head record against both players.
Should she reach the fourth round, the Brit is likely to face off against 25th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. In the quarterfinals, Raducanu is projected to square off against 14th seed Daria Kasatkina, while second seed Coco Gauff is likely to be the semifinal opponent (based on seeding).
Meanwhile, top seed Iga Swiatek is still in the running to reach the final from the top of the draw, followed by No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina and No. 5 seed Jessica Pegula.